So, my brother and I are nerds; sometimes we like to go through and analyze amvs for anime. Does this have any particular purpose other than pleasure? Probably not. But! I’ve learned a lot about editing and recognizing great timing and musical direction.
There are some great nerdy editors out there who have made fantastic videos promoting anime. As such, my brother asked me to do a list of some of the great ones we’ve found over the years.
To get on this list, we looked for AMVs that scored 9-10 in the following categories:
Timing, Tone, Music Choice, Fluidity, Characterization, Aestheticism
Once we deemed an AMV up to par with these standards, we include the following categories to weed out the Great AMVs with the Excellent AMVs and later the Near-perfect AMVS.
Promotional Value, Emotionalism, Using the Music/Lyrics to its Full Advantage, Personal Opinion
For this list, I’ll include the AMV, so you can watch it at your own leisure. To watch the amvs, click the photos and it will re-direct you straight to the source material. Let’s get started!
50. Fear Slayer, video by Radical Dreamer (2020)
At the bottom of our list is a Demon Slayer AMV with a lot going for it. It has great video quality that matches the pace of the anime, has excellent timing, flows well from beginning to end, and has an appropriate song choice.
What keeps it from going higher are just nitpicks we noticed after seeing it many times. First, why are certain scenes in there? Sometimes, it didn’t seem to match what the song was saying, which messed with the overall tone. There was also a lack of emotionalism because it didn’t build itself up beyond showing off scenes from the show.
49. Dancing With Your Ghost, Video by Anime MV Sensei (2021)
This amv is really moving. It has great tone and the editing makes it seem like the characters are dancing along with the music. This makes the overall flow somewhat hypnotic.
However, it did have a number of nitpick flaws. A few times, it didn’t use the imagery right. There were some anime choices and scenes that didn’t seem like good fits for the song and video’s overall theme. Also, the imagery didn’t match the lyrics all the time.
48. Give Us a Little Love, Video by Masaa (2014)
This is actually one of my favorite amvs. The timing with rain and music was brilliantly edited and the overall tone is great. The first time I watched it, I felt it was very emotionally impactful. It made me want to watch the two movies featured in the video.
Although it is a classic, there are some problems. The editor should have used the full song and there were parts where I don’t quite know why the scenes are there in the spots they are. What made it score so far down was this question, “What is the overall direction the editor was going for and is there a conclusion?”
47. Arcade, Video by Anime MV Sensei (2022)
I enjoy watching this AMV when I want to get in the mood for something romantic. My brother and I found it very emotionally impactful and thought it conveyed love very well with various beautiful anime.
Now, I do think it needs to focus on specific characters longer before shifting between different anime. This would make some of the anime they used more impactful. As my brother pointed out, “Why abandon certain anime and add in others that aren’t as important for the overall story?
Also, there was one Tokyo Ghoul scene we both knew really didn’t belong.
46. Colorless Emotion, Video by Oscar & Raven
From the moment I saw this AMV I thought it had a fantastic song choice and gorgeous editing. ItKeeps with the theme well with the lack of coloration till the end and also has great character development.
The tiny issue that brought it down was the pacing between the two acts of the story. Why not keep it with the abuse the whole song? Without actually watching the show it comes from, March Comes In Like a Lion, I wouldn’t have a very good idea what it was actually about.
45. Young And Beautiful, Video by CEO 101 (2020)
I hear this song and think of Metropolis (2001) so I was surprised I liked this song choice for this movie. It has great pacing and buildup and captures the feeling of the original movie, Children of the Sea (2019) very well.
Now, the song choice gives the right tone, but the words don’t match the scenes as well. It also uses mysticism to cover up mistakes. These are nitpicks though. It’s fantastic.
44. For the Win, Video by DigiCat (2014)
We keep coming back to this AMV, even though neither of us actually like Sword Art Online. Even amidst my apathy for the story, I recognize this has great editing timing, and pacing. The imagery flows well with the song and builds up tension through interesting transitions. It’s also nice to know it feels like a video made for the anime and follows the story arcs of the anime. Great transitions.
So, what brought it down? Well, a lack of an emotional connection for both of us. I do think it gets you excited at all the right times but its ending was odd. Why introduce the new season in the end? By doing this the video lacked a resolution.
43. Baba Yetu, Video by Glitzer
Alright, let’s do this. What makes this AMV sparkle is its great emotionalism. It makes unlikable characters likable, sticks with the song, and has fantastic timing. It also utilizes the anime well and builds up tension in all the right places.
Here’s the issue. It’s a mediocre anime made great by good editing and song choice. We just don’t care about the anime. In fact, we both kind of hated it. So the problem is us. The source material just happens to be something we find boring.
42. Unchained, Video by RedAngel (2015)
This is the only AMV on this list that is technically an MMV. Based on Pandora Hearts, this AMV is a short clip depicting various scenes from the manga. The cool thing though is the editor brought these images to life through subtle movement. It has great promotional value and the song choice was spot on. Also, its timing and editing are impeccable.
The only real issue with this video is it is too short. Though the timing and flow are beautiful, it is hard at times to follow the story. Another nitpick we kind of had is if the writing necessary during the video and if the imagery matches the words all the time.
41. Drawn Dream, Video by Concentration Kun/ Silent Man (2015)
Although this is not my favorite AMV, it is very creative with how it presents its material. Based on Natsume Yuujinchou, the video is ethereal in a way with great pacing and timing with the music. Consequently, it captures the anime’s mood well.
Nitpicky me wishes they had used more scenes from the anime and given a more precise transition between certain featured episodes. The REAL reason it is this low is the weird white bar at the bottom of the screen is distracting.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to click on PART TWO of this list.
From the Perspective of an Old Soul 
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